Employee Spotlight! June 28th 2013

Chris Guarino

Retail Sales Associate


Hometown: Tampa, FL
How long have you been working at JG? 5 months
Top Sale: $549.00 (Spirit S-210)

Favorite thing about working at JG: The fun, family atmosphere of the store.  Heather and Doug are great.

4th of July and the BBQ- Thursday June 27th 2013

July 4th and the BBQ

The 4th of July is a day of celebration and a day to celebrate America's Independence. In the 1800's Americans still had parties and celebrations.  Philadelphians remembered the 4th by setting off firecrackers, ringing bells, firing guns, and lighting candles. When the war ended in 1783 the 4th essentially became a holiday .  In 1941, Congress finally declared July 4th a National Holiday.  How have celebrations changed over the years? 

Over time, various other summertime activities also came to be associated with the Fourth of July, including historical pageants, picnics, baseball games, watermelon-eating contests, and trips to the beach. Common foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, and sometimes clam bakes. 


The second president, John Adams, would have approved. "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival," he wrote his wife, Abigail. "It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."

Fire up your grill for the 4th!

                 

            18th Century                                                      21st Century

Wednesday What's For Dinner- June 26th 2013

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 1 – lb. fresh broccoli Break in pieces, and steam for 2 minutes.
• 3 cups cooked chicken breasts  – Break up in small pieces
• 3 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese divided
• 2 tubes Ritz Crackers
• 1  stick melted butter
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• SAUCE:
• ⅓ cup Butter- melted
• ¼ cups Cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup COLD Water
• ⅓ cup Chicken Broth
• ¼ tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp Pepper
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1½ cups of the above Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

1. In greased 13×9 pan, layer the broccoli and chicken, then set aside.
2. In saucepan over medium heat, combine the melted butter, cornstarch dissolved in water, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Stir well, and continue stirring until sauce has thickened.
3. Turn heat down to low, and add 1- ½ cups grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
4. Pour over the chicken and broccoli.
5. Top with 1- ½ cups grated cheddar cheese.
6. Melt the butter, and add the poppy seeds, and stir well.
7. Crush Ritz crackers in large zip-lock bag with a rolling pin. Don’t crush too small. Add crumbs to the melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs over the top of the grated cheese.
8. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.

Monday's Specialty Sauce- June 24th 2013

Apple Cherry Habanero Rib Candy

This product is the bomb. I mean really this stuff is off the chain. Cooking ribs has never been easier. Finally a pourable, brushable sauce that can be used at any time during the cooking process or just poured over the top after your finished cooking. It does not get any easier than this. Our rib candy is the perfect blend of sweet and heat. Just open and apply to ribs. But wait ... this product also goes well with chicken, pork loin, lamb and more. The possibilities are endless. What are you waiting for? Stop in today and get your bottle!

Friday What's For Lunch? June 21st 2013

Grilled Chicken Wrap

Instead of going through the drive- thru for lunch to get a wrap, Detour to your house throw some chicken on the grill and make homemade grilled chicken wraps. 


Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Juice from one lemon
6 lettuce leaves (green leafy kind)
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
3 large tortillas, any flavor you like
¼ cup Light Ranch dressing
Salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions: 
Heat your grill to medium/high and lightly coat with olive oil. Generously salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breasts. Place onto grill and cook each side for about 10 minutes. Baste with lemon juice often. Once fully cooked, remove from heat and let them to sit for at least 5 minutes. This keeps the juices in. Now cut chicken into slices and set aside. Take out your tortillas and spread lightly with Ranch dressing. Place lettuce first, then chicken, tomato and cheese into each tortilla. Fold in the sides and wrap it up so it looks like a burrito, ends closed. Place on grill and press down with a spatula just long enough to leave pretty grill marks. Do this for both sides. Now cut on a diagonal and serve. Delicious and healthy!

Employee Spotlight- Greg Klein June 20th 2013

Greg Klein

Retail Sales Associate


Hometown: Tampa, FL
How long have you been working at JG? 3 months
Top Sale: $850.00 (Big Green Egg)

Favorite thing about working at JG: I love how I can work with my hands and assemble grills. I am the fastest assembler at Just Grillin!

Prepping Drinks with the Grill- June 19th 2013

Grilled Lemonade

Who would have thought you could mix up the flavors of lemonade by adding fruit on the grill to accentuate the fruity flavors.  This concept adds a unique smoky flavor to your favorite summer time drink.  Try this recipe this weekend!












Ingredients: 

• 16 lemons, halved
• 1 cup sugar, plus more add needed
• 5 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• Ice

Directions:

1. 1. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place sugar in a medium-sized disposable aluminum pan. Dip each of the lemons, cut side down, into sugar. Place lemons on grill, cut side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from grill.

   2. Add 2 cups of water, honey, and rosemary to pan with sugar. Place pan on grill and whisk until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from grill and discard rosemary sprigs.

   3. Squeeze lemons into a large large bowl. Pour in honey and sugar syrup and 3 additional cups of cold water and stir to combine. Add additional water or sugar to taste. Transfer to large pitcher, pouring through a fine mesh strainer for a smoother lemonade, if desired. Add in ice to cool, then serve.

Monday's Specialty Sauce- June 17th 2013

Uncle Kenny's Mustard BBQ Sauce

Uncle Kenny's Mustard BBQ Sauce won another First Place for Best Mustard Sauce at the 2012 American Royal in Kansas City. This is another award winning sauce that one first place at the Best of National BBQ Festival and placed in multiple categories in the ZestFest 2011 Fiery Food Challenge. The sauce comes recommended from blogger's BBQ Smoker Site and Big Wayner's BBQ Blog. Upon first look, you would be hard pressed to see that it was a mustard based sauce, it has a slight yellow tint to it. On the ingredient list the Yellow Mustard is followed closely by brown sugar and BBQ sauce so this is not as rich or mustardy as others you might sample. 

Uncle Kenny's Mustard BBQ Sauce flavor profile has the mustard working with the sweetness and compliments the over taste of this sauce. It compliments the food and does not overpower it, so if you like the flavor of mustard, try this as it blends the BBQ flavor with just a hint of Mustard, nothing too overpowering. Is recommended for Chicken, but also tastes great on pork loin or chops, even on pulled pork if you are into saucing things up. 

Ingredients: Mustard, Brown Sugar, Barbecue Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Tomato Paste, HIgh Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Corn Syrup, Salt, Mustard Bran, Hickory Smoke Flavor, Molasses, Spices, Onion Powder, Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Garlic Powder, Carmel Color, Sugar and Natural Flavors, Honey, Distilled Vinegar and Spices.

Thursday's Grill Gadget- June 13th 2013

Golf Caddy BBQ Set

If your passions are golfing and grilling pick up this set for Father's Day. Your father or husband would love it! Mix Golf + BBQ to create the perfect guy gift. This golf themed BBQ tool set comes complete with golf grip handles.

Wednesday What's For Dinner- June 12th 2013

Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers

Ingredients: 

Stonewall Kitchen Garlic Teriyaki Sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

48 peeled and deveined shrimp

32 pieces of fresh cubed pineapple

1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges

cooking spray

Preparation:

1. Prepare grill.
2. To prepare sauce, combine teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds in a small bowl.
3. To prepare kebabs, thread 6 shrimp, 4 pineapple chunks, and 1 onion wedge alternately onto each of 8 (10-inch) skewers. Brush kebabs with teriyaki mixture. Place kebabs on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning once.

Meatless Monday- June 10th 2013

A Healthy Alternative...

Portobello Mushroom Burger

Burgers are great in all but it is recommended that you opt out of meat one day a week.  Follow this rule by swapping out beef with mushrooms! Mushrooms are so much easier to grill too.

Ingredients:

4 portobello mushrooms, stems on
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 hamburger buns, toasted
4 leaves romaine lettuce
1 tomato, sliced


Directions
Rub the mushroom caps with a damp cloth to clean. Remove stems.

In a small bowl combine the grill seasoning, oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Brush over the mushrooms making sure to coat completely. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for the aioli.

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill on medium heat. Put the mushrooms gill side down onto the grill and grill about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. After you flip the mushrooms top each with 2 tablespoons of Cheddar.

While the mushrooms are grilling, make the aioli sauce by combining the remaining 2 tablespoons of the marinade with the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Spread each hamburger bun with aioli sauce. Remove mushrooms from the grill and serve on the toasted buns with lettuce and tomato slices.

Sunday's Appetizers- June 9th 2013

Meatball Sliders

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground veal
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

• Arugula leaves (optional)
• 18 small soft rolls, split horizontally

• Directions: 

Mix all meats, panko, 1/2 cup water, 6 tablespoons cheese, egg, egg yolk, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in large bowl. Form into eighteen 2-inch-meatballs.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry meatballs until brown all over. Transfer to plate. Pour off drippings from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add olive oil to skillet. Add onion, garlic, basil, and fennel seeds. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add all tomatoes with juices. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Puree sauce in processor until almost smooth. Return to same skillet. Add meatballs. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes longer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Place arugula leaves on bottom of each roll, if desired. Top each with 1 meatball. Drizzle meatballs with some of sauce and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons. cheese. Cover with tops of rolls.

Friday What's For Lunch- June 7th 2013

National Doughnut Day!

In lieu of National Doughnut Day, prepare delectable doughnuts as a snack, for lunch, or for dinner!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided)
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour (alternately, white whole wheat might work - haven't tried it yet)
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions: 

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Most people (like myself) don't have a doughnut cutter, instead I use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.

Employee Spotlight- Bake Koletic Thursday June 6th 2013

Blake Koletic

Retail Sales Associate


Hometown: Tampa, FL
How long have you been working at JG? 7 months
Top Sale: $1,400 (Big Green Egg)

Favorite thing about working at JG: The people I work with are awesome and all the people I get to meet and know

Which is Healthier? June 5th 2013

Before you fire up the grill, find out how your summer cookout staples stack up.

Ketchup vs Mustard

Neither of these fat free condiments is a bad choice, but while a tablespoon of ketchup contains 4 grams of sugar and 20 calories, yellow mustard has almost no sugar or calories.  The only downside: Mustard is slightly higher in sodium. 

Winner: Mustard

Sweet Pickles vs Dill Pickles

Sweet pickles have seven times the calrie and more 13 times the sugar content of dills.  Dill pickles contain almost twice as much sodium as sweet pickles, but assuming you don't put too many slices on your burger, they're the better option

Winner: Dill Pickles

Hamburger vs Hot Dog

Franks and quarter pound burgers each contain about 200 calories, but a single hot dog has more than 25% of your maximum daily sodium (compared with only 3% in a burger patty). Most hot dogs are also higher in fat and contain nitrites, preservatives that may increase your cancer risk.

Winner: Hamburger

Potato Chips vs Tortilla Chips

Potato chips are higher in vitamin C- an ounce gives you 10% of your daily reommended intake- but that's their only upside. Tortilla chips are lower in calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium, and they contain more calcium.  Bonus: the dips you eat with tortilla chips (guacamole and salsa) are more healthful than the standard ranch or sour cream and onion dip. 

Winner: Tortilla Chips

Plain Buns vs Potato Buns

Potato buns have about twice s much sugar as plain (that's why they taste so much sweeter), but they also contain more protein.  Beyond that, the two are almost identical in fat, calorie and fiber counts, so pick the one you like.

Winner: It's a draw